Elizabeth Trist to Nicholas P. Trist

Farmington9th March—19

I thank you My Dear Nicholas for the proofs you give me of your remembrance, which
to hearing you are well & doing well constitutes my greatest pleasure and happiness
my anxiety that you shou’d make the very best use of the opportunities afforded you
and that you will acquire habits of industry and application that will insure your
respectability and future comfort—for industry and frugality are the surest foundation on which to build the temple of
independence

Your time for improvement will be quickly past and as your fortune is not sufficient
for you to lean upon, and altho your Fathers liberality exceeds the bounds of Prudence
in custom as he is, not clear of debt and children of his own to provide for, and
the uncertainty of all Sublunary blessings which daily experience evinces the instability
of. I am desireous that my Dear Grand Sons shou’d learn to be oeconomists, by being
careful, of what they have, and spending no more than necessary, mean sended characters
I despise, but prudence is so essential to our well being and respectability that
it ought to be cultivated and nourish’d with the greatest care, let your conduct be
such as to insure you the good will of every one but have firmness to resist all evil
temptations and commit no indiscretions that will cause you to reflect upon your self
in time to come, when I took up the pen it was for the purpose of telling you that
I had the pleasure of seeing Mr Jefferson and Mr Burwell yesterday accompanied by Cornelia and Virginia they arrived after the table was laid for Dinner found Mr Divers very Ill in bed with a bilious Plurisy Dr Ragland has staid here to attend to him 3 nights and days what with bleeding and blistering
and medicine I am in hopes that he will survive this bout he is a little better to day but not able to set up, his health has been very bad
all winter as usual and I hope if he lives to see this pass over that he will go to
some warmer climate
before another I have just been able to see him he says that he is no better his
fever high cough bad and the pain in his side still continues I cannot but feel uneasy
about him tis impossible
for
him to hold out much longer without a change for the better—It gave me much pleasure
to see Mr Jefferson so well he mounts his Horse with as much agility as most young men they have had
colds at the Mountain and Mrs Randolph has still a bad cough, Ellen has gone with her Father to Richmond to get a dentist to operate on her teeth and Virginia is going for the same purpose Jefferson rides about the Plantation with Phil to attend him as he has no use of his arm yet I presume your Brother wrote to you while he was at the Mountain intended to return the day of the court but staid till Wednesday he escorted the
young ladies to pay Mrs Garret a visit and to shop I gave him a memorandum to get me a few little articles I wanted,
but tho he was at Leitches he forgot my commission amusing him self with a ficticious
Snake but I hope
to see him next Saturday or Sunday I had hardly an opportunity to ask Mr Burwell any questions I took the Girls over to my room as there were other Gentlemen in the Dining room I could not ask
them the Questions I wanted, Ann has written to them several times and express’d great unhappiness at the event that
took place but at the same time she thinks Jefferson brought it on him self by commencing hostilities, he took good care not attend the court and the Girls say that he is under the impression that by not appearing and paying the five hundred
Dollars that he is exempted from further trial, he sent up some ploughs and some other
articles to Carlton and gave him some orders but Mr Randolph who it seems has the power has ordered the Overseer to pay no attention to Mr Bankheads orders that in future he is to have nothing to do with the plantation Ann mention’d that they were looking out for a Plantation to sent down in the Neighbourhood
of his Father. Mr Burwell told me that you had written to him on the subject of the commotion you had at W Point that the Secretary at War had sent an1 Officer a french Gentleman whoes name I have forgotten, to enquire into the State
of affairs in that seminary, I am sorry that General Jackson did not reach West Point I shou’d have been sad if you cou’d have had the opportunity of paying your respects
to the Hero of N Orleans. I owe him so much gratitude that I can not subscribe to any act that would censure
him, tho he may have over step’d the bounds prescribed by the constitution his motives
were pure, and the
welfare of his country was I believe his sole object it may perhaps be necessary
to take notice and investigate the conduct of military Gentlemen least they shou’d
usurp too much power and become
second Bonapartes and take the Goverment out of the hands of the people i pray
what kind of young men are his Nephews, the Session of the Floradies will open the door for speculation I wish you had Money to invest in city lots at
Pensicola for I dare say under our Goverment that will be an important city I mention’d
to Mr Jefferson what you said respecting the offers made to Judge Cooper to be a Professor of Chymistery &ca at West Point but he seems to be pretty secure of his coming here I am not very sanguine that the
College will be in readiness for himyour Brother and calculate on his going to Princeton he has waited long enough, I love you both too much not to sacrafise the pleasure
I may derive from living near you to what may be more beneficial for your welfare
the time is not very
distant when a seperation is inevitable perhaps before another year passes over,
I shall be exempted from a mental suffering by your return to Louisiana—I cou’d wish to live to see you both established in the world, independent by your
own exertions for of all the objects in the world the most comtempable is a lazy poor proud Gentleman leaning on others for support it is humiliating to an
old woman to be placed in such a situation your Grand Father Trist wou’d have became a day labourer rather than have submitted to solicit aid even of near connections he thought it ignoble
without bodily or mental defect to become a useless burthen upon any one and he wou’d
have lived on bread and
water rather than put him self in the power of any one to abridge him of his liberty
and never run in debt, it is humiliating to be in the power of any one and therefore
let me beseech you to
regulate your expences so as to avoid that evil, your Father allows you a 100ƒƒ more than he does your Brother and what you get from the public ought to be sufficient for your support there and
if you spend much you cant have time for study you should set an example to your Brother he will no doubt follow expensive habits are soon acquired and difficult to correct
and let me implore you my beloved Grand Son to show firmness to act with Prudence
and never lay your self
under pecuniary obligation to any one, or led in debt lest you may be disappointed
in your intention of paying at the time you calculated on and by that means accumulate
the debt by extension, on
interest—and take it for granted that you can always buy any thing cheaper for
ready money provided you look out for those who will do it honourably, but be careful
of your cloaths and not let
them
be throwing about the room as you did at Bentivar, keep your trunk lock’d, that puts me in mind to ask you if you gave me the key of
the dressing case you left in Henryyour Cousin Mary says she has never seen it if you gave it to me, I put it into a drawer excuse my
long lecture and be assured of the Affection of your devoted